Colwyn and Lyssa are the heirs to their respective kingdoms. They’ve come up with a plan to unite them in the face of a mysterious enemy called the Beast. The Beast has a travelling castle and has been terrorising the world of Krull. Colwyn and Lyssa’s plan is pretty simple: they’re going to get married, … Continue reading A Movie Ian Likes: Krull
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An Update: Espedair Street by Iain Banks
I don't normally do this, but I sort of committed to it in an earlier blog post. Back in May 2021, I blogged about the late and great Iain Banks's biopic novel Espedair Street. I mentioned in the course of that post that it had been dramatised in 1998 by BBC Radio. In the closing … Continue reading An Update: Espedair Street by Iain Banks
The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 41: The Shepherd’s Crown
Sir Terry Pratchett passed away on March 12, 2015. An advocate of Assisted Dying, he nevertheless succumbed to the conditions of his Alzheimer’s Disease and died of natural causes. For those of us on social media, these were the Tweets that alerted us: I have written elsewhere on how this affected me. In short, despite … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 41: The Shepherd’s Crown
The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 23: Carpe Jugulum
King Verence and Queen Magrat of Lancre have a daughter and are inviting the high and the mighty from all the neighbouring regions to celebrate her naming day with them. However, Granny Weatherwax’s invitation has been misplaced and she is under the illusion that she hasn’t been invited. Unfortunately, her absence means that some foolishly … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 23: Carpe Jugulum
A Novel Ian Likes: Joyland by Stephen King
Devin Jones has taken a summer job at an amusement park hoping to get over the girl who broke his heart. As the summer progresses, though, he becomes embroiled in an old mystery concerning the murder of a local girl and the culprit who was never found… When I was younger I was a huge … Continue reading A Novel Ian Likes: Joyland by Stephen King
The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 5: Sourcery
It’s tempting to call Sourcery a return to the “roots” of Discworld after a couple of books away from them but, really, using the rest of the series for some perspective, they hadn’t actually gone too far from them. We get Rincewind and his lethal luggage back, as well as the return of the faculty … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 5: Sourcery
A Reference Book Ian Likes: The Encyclopedia Of Science Fiction (1978)
First things first, this isn’t an actual or proper encyclopaedia. It’s a collection of essays that each detail a particular aspect of the history and make-up of Science Fiction. But it’s lavishly illustrated and features a fairly comprehensive list of magazines and awards relevant to the field as well as a chronology of movies that … Continue reading A Reference Book Ian Likes: The Encyclopedia Of Science Fiction (1978)
A Trilogy Ian Likes: Helliconia by Brian Aldiss
Helliconia is an unremarkable planet. Its primary orbit is around Batalix, with a year equal to about 480 Earth days. But Batalix is in an irregular orbit around Freyr, a larger star. This orbit causes some unusual fluctuations in Helliconia’s climate, with the result that it experiences a second year, which the inhabitants refer to … Continue reading A Trilogy Ian Likes: Helliconia by Brian Aldiss
A Novel Ian Likes: Ash: A Secret History by Mary Gentle
Ash is an orphan girl who has become the leader of a respected mercenary company in late 15th Century Europe. Her company enjoys its success because of the “voices” in her head. These voices advise her on battle tactics and strategy. While other women might be taken as being insane, Ash is seen as touched … Continue reading A Novel Ian Likes: Ash: A Secret History by Mary Gentle
A Novel Ian Likes: The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy
Grace Melbury was promised to Giles Winterbourne by her father when they were both very young. Giles has held true to this promise, but Grace’s father has realised that in making Grace “worthy” of Giles, she has been educated far beyond the station of a tenant farmer. Giles accepts that Grace does not deserve the … Continue reading A Novel Ian Likes: The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy
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